Weight Of The World
by Scarlett-Whitecross20
Summary: When the weight of the world is on your shoulders... do you feel it? Well when Kion and the Guard are faced with a horrible possibility.. they must brave the weather of the emotions that arise from it.. and hope they survive.
1. Chapter 1

Lion Guard: Weight Of The World

**~Warning: may contain unsettling descriptions of dead things(but only few in the beginning!)~**

The sun beat down on them, as they strolled across the savannah. The Lion Guard's colors seemed more vibrantly defined in the brilliant light. The flames of Kion's crimson mane, flared on his head and on the tuft at the end of his tail; which painted the wind behind him.

"I asked Beshte to take a couple days off, to help his dad out while he was hurt." Kion told the rest of the Guard as they walked. "Seems like the perfect day to go see how they're doing."

"Yeah, while it's still quiet." Fuli stated, half sarcastically. Coming up over the small hill, Big Springs welcomed them; along with the hippos who inhabited it. Kion searched for a second and finally caught sight of the hippo in question.

"Hey Beshte." Kion greeted, when reaching them. "How's your dad doing?"

"Hey guys!" Beshte beamed. "And he's great, his leg is almost fully healed again."

"And your pal, Beshte's, been a great help to me these past few days." Basi told them thankfully.

"No problem, Dad." Beshte told his father proudly.

"Glad to hear it, Basi." Kion grinned. "I bet it's nice to finally be back on your feet again."

"Oh yeah." Basi confirmed pleasurefully. "And it'll be even nicer when I can finally be able to be on my own instead of keeping Beshte home all the time. I'm sure you've missed him on your regular patrols, and stuff."

"Psh, of course we did!" Bunga shrugged coolly. "But you're his dad, he's _supposed_ to stay home and take care of you."

"He's actually got a point." Ono agreed, hovering in place. "We have missed him, but taking care of you _should_ be his top priority."

"Oh I agree, and thanks for understanding, kids." Basi smiled. "But I think I'll be ok on my own now. You can finally go back to work and help your friends. The Guard needs you, ya know."

"Uh.. you sure you're gonna be ok?" Beshte wondered, a bit unsure.

"I'll be fine." His father nodded. "Go. Do your job, son. I'll be ok."

"Well.. um.. ok. Uh.. see you later, Dad." The hippo said, before hesitantly heading off after the Guard, wondering if he really _wanted_ to leave him.

"Have fun, kids." Basi called after them, then relaxed his head into the water with a gentle sigh.

"Hope I didn't pull you away from your dad too soon." Kion spoke up turning to Beshte unsurely, as they made it to the top of the hill once more.

"Nah, I'm sure he'll be fine." Beshte shrugged, now feeling a little more confident.

"Oh no!" Kion caught the sound of this voice, and glanced toward it immediately taking off from the group to find it.

"Kion?" Fuli gasped at this.

"Wait up!" Bunga cried, as they all raced after him. Kion finally stopped in a clearing of the grasses(which barely came to the top of his shoulders) and looked around, searching for the owner of the voice; as though he knew they were nearby. When suddenly he saw it and ran forward to get closer; the Guard soon made it to the clearing, and also stopped for a second to look before drawing near.

"My nest!" A bee-eater mom wailed in horror. "And my eggs!" The woven components of the nest were completely trashed, and what little remained of the eggs was a mess of shattered shells and sticky red, white and clear fluid.

"Woah!" The Guard breathed.

"What could've done that?" Fuli asked, looking at Kion.

"I'm not sure." The cub responded, looking just as puzzled as she was. "Did you see who did this?" He asked, turning to the distressed bird.

"-No.. I didn't." The bee-eater shook her head. "I was just returning to add some things to my nest, when I found it destroyed like this." She waved a wing at it, as she spoke.

"Do you have any idea what could have done this?" Ono wondered curiously.

"Oh, I wish I did." The bird shrugged regretfully.

"Hm…" Kion mused gazing off in thought.

_XXXX_

They had continued their patrol when suddenly two familiar voices rang out in whines and cries, drawing the Guard to the waterfall of Hakuna Matata Falls.

"Uncle Timon? Uncle Pumbaa? What's going on?!" Bunga called, as they rushed in.

"The horror, the horror!" Timon wailed dramatically, a hand to his forehead as some form of actor's gesture.

"Oh! It's awful!" Pumbaa moaned, solemnly looking down. The Guard all dropped their eyes to the hollow log on the ground, which now had a giant hole smashed into it; and parts of dead and live bugs lay everywhere around it.

"What happened?" Kion asked, more forwardly this time.

"What do you think happened?!" Timon snapped hurtfully. "Some creature just broke in and stole our beautiful stash of delectable goodness!"

"That's the second time something's gone missing today." Beshte noted aloud. "Do you think it's a coincidence?" He looked to his friends.

"I don't know." Kion answered, a disturbed look in his eyes. "But I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Come on, let's finish our patrol." Then he headed on his way with the rest of the team right behind him; as Timon and Pumbaa continued to wail uncontrollably together at the loss of their hidden snacks.

_xxxx_

As they continued on the path, they hadn't gone far when Kion suddenly stopped to find the remains of a lizard, likely ravaged from hungry jaws and claws indicated by the scratch marks in the dirt around it.

"Ugh, this is ridiculous!" Kion sneered, brushing the carcass away with a frustrated sweep of a paw.

"Easy Kion." Beshte encouraged quickly. "Maybe it's just a coincidence, just like everything else that has happened today." Screeching chatters suddenly rang out, as three hyraxes darted away a few yards from where they stood. "Hey, wait,.. I know those hyraxes. But it looks like their about two hyraxes short."

"That's it." Kion decided finally. "I'm going to talk to my dad. Maybe he's got an idea of what's going on here." He turned off toward the prism-shaped rock in the far distance, as the Guard began to follow once more.

_XXXX_

Kion smoothly climbed the rocky steps of the place he called home; and when he reached the top his family stood there with Timon and Pumbaa. They all looked to him, as soon as they realized he was standing there.

"Kion." Simba addressed his son. "I see you're back from your daily patrol." Kion's troubled expression never changed as he came forward; allowing the Guard to join them. "Are you ok, son?" The Lion King asked, picking up on the cub's distraught look.

"Dad, something's not right. Things have been going wrong all over the place. And animals' eggs and food are mysteriously going missing." Kion explained. "We were hoping I'd you have any ideas on what might be going on."

"Hmm.." The older lion mused thoughtfully. "Perhaps it's just another reminder of the circle of life in action. There are a lot of nocturnal animals that we don't always see or hear from very often."

"I guess." Kion thought slowly. A shape moved slowly toward the pile of bugs laying near Timon and Pumbaa, unbeknownst to the group.

"Maybe one of those little animals is causing all of this." Fuli guessed. "And we're just worrying about it for no reason."

"Yeah I-.." Kion finally caught sight of the little brown shape, becoming quite shocked to see it. "Hey! Get away from there!" He called quickly to it. The brown critter jumped, beelining it across the rock through the group, and down the other side to the steps leading away from them. "Wait, stop!" Kion called, racing after it.

"Was that an African Wild Dog?" Ono asked in surprise, as if not expecting to ever see one.

"Kion, wait for us!" Fuli cried, bounding after him with the rest of the team. Soon they lost Kion over the far hill. "Ono, keep an eye out for Kion!" Fuli called up to the soaring egret.

"Affirmative!" Ono called back.

_xxxx_

Kion sprinted on toward the tower of rocks, catching sight of the little creature darting around behind it. Jumping onto a rock on the ground, he launched himself up just barely managing to get his paws up onto the ledge. The cub dug his claws into the rocky ledge, but his back legs swung forward and his claws slipped. He eyes widened, as he fell backwards; seemingly in slow motion. He hit the rock under him, landing flat on his back. Pain erupted throughout his body, as he fell limp to the grassy floor. He grimaced trying to get up, but the searing pain only fired more; practically burning a hole into his spine.

"Hapana!" Ono screamed, having seen the whole thing. "Everyone, hurry!"

"Why? What happened?!" Fuli wondered.

"Did he get it?" Bunga asked.

"No." The egret returned quickly.

"Then what, Ono?" Beshte questioned worriedly.

"Kion's hurt!" Ono cried urgently.

"What?!" The three other Guard members gasped, a sudden fire of determination urging him to run faster.

_XXXX_

Kion strained, trying to get up again, but the burning pain that stabbed him in the back sent him down again. He was nearly in tears, as the Guard finally reached him.

"Kion, what happened?! A..are you ok?" Beshte cried, upon seeing him on the ground.

"Ugh,.. I slipped- and hit- my back- on the rocks." Kion gasped between painful breaths. Ono flew down and ran his wings down Kion's spine. Kion tensed and grimaced immediately, especially when he reached the center of his back.

"We need to get him to Rafiki." Ono told them. "Now!"

"You got it." Bunga said slamming a fist into his other hand. Then the honey badger took Kion's right elbow to ease his hands under him, and began to lift him up.

"No-.. can't-.. hurts!" Kion groaned, resisting the tender grasp of his friend.

"I'm thinking it's too painful for him to move." Beshte pointed out sadly.

"Then I guess we'll have to bring Rafiki to Kion." Fuli decided, looking up at Ono.

"On it!" He called, reading her mind, as he gave her a salute and circled around back toward Pride Rock.

_XXXX_

The royal family now joined by Rafiki looked up, as Ono soon returned.

"Has Kion caught up to that _'bug thief'_ already?" Simba asked, hinting at the meerkat and warthog broken down in hysterics behind him once again.

"I'm afraid not." Ono sighed regrettably. "Rafiki, we need your help; Kion slipped on the rocks and now he's hurt. It's bad."

"What?!" Simba breathed in a gasping breath.

"Then we must hurry." Rafiki decided, grabbing his staff; leaning against the wall next to him.

"Lead the way, Ono." Simba instructed urgently.

"Right, this way everyone!" He called, circling around again.

_XXXX_

"Just relax, Kion." Beshte soothed earning the cub's pained look. "Ono will be back with help in no time."

"He's over here everyone!" Ono's voice called as he came to hover just above them. Rafiki and the rest of the royal family hurrying up the hill toward them.

"Kion, are you alright?!" Nala cried immediately coming to her son's side. And all the cub could responded with, was a painful groan.

"He hit the rocks directly on his back." Ono explained, waving a wing at the cub simply. Rafiki strode forward and tenderly felt his fingers down Kion's back. And, again, the most tender spot he touched was where he got the most protest from the cub; who attempted to shift himself away from his touch.

"Mmmm." Rafiki mused. "Yes.. this is not good." He took up a rock and ran it across the pad of Kion's left back leg, which it moved away in response. He repeated this action on his right back leg and the same thing resulted. "He will be fine for now, but we must find a way to bring the swelling down; before it can cause some serious problems." Simba grabbed Kion with his teeth by the scruff of his neck, and picked him up Kion's back flared burning up and down his body singeing through his extremities.

"No!.. Dad.. stop!" The Lion Guard leader could hardly speak these words, almost sounding dry and hoarse. His tone remained so soft they almost didn't catch what he said.

"This isn't gonna work. We shouldn't agitate the wound in any way." Ono explained.

"Don't worry, everybody." Beshte smiled brightly, strolling toward Simba. "I got this, your majesty." He said, gesturing to himself with the tilt of his head. Simba willingly set Kion up on top of him, and stepped back to give him the room to maneuver.

"Thank you, Beshte." The Lion King smiled, graciously nodding. The hippo smiled back and proceeded to gaze around at the group. Just them Bunga climbed up onto Beshte next to Kion.

"And I'll be here to stop him from falling off." The honey badger explained, before anyone could ask what he was doing.

"Then let us head home. We have work to do." And they all turned toward Pride Rock once more, making the trek back down the path to the giant icon of the rock; lording over the land of the Pride Lands.

_XXXX_

Kion grimaced, as Simba grabbed him by the scruff once more to lift him down. And as he did so, he instinctively reached his paws down, as if to catch himself from a fall; laying down for lack of strength to stand. Rafiki left the Lion Guard Lair for only a short time, before returning with something in his hand. He set a small bowl aside and took ok of its contents out.

"Chew on this piece of a pincushion tree's roots; but do not eat it." Rafiki instructed. Setting the small brown object between Kion's paws, the cub wrapped one paw over it; and use the other to keep it still to gently gnaw on the end that was sticking up. After a short while, he realized that his pain was slowly diminishing; much to his surprise.. and relief.

"Kion.. you ok?" Fuli wondered quickly, leaning forward slightly; as if to get a better look.

"*grunt* well it does still hurt; but.. I do feel at least a _little_ better." Kion responded, not even daring to move; for fear of ruining what little relief he'd gotten.

"That's because the special components of the tree roots are working to ease your pain, for the moment." Rafiki explained rather easily.

"Ok." Bunga shrugged simply. "Soo.. what now?"

"Now we must try to get the swelling to come down." Rafiki explained decisively. With slow gentle hands, the mandrill took Kion's shoulders and eased him onto his side. Then he took out two slanted rocks and eased them under the tenderest spot; placing two more to cover them leaning against Kion's back. Placing a hand on Kion's exposed shoulder, was enough to tell him not to move.

"Now we wait." Rafiki said finally, turning toward the royal family.

_XXXX_

Time had passed, though no one was sure how much. Some of them couldn't resist the urge to maintain a constant gazing stare at the cub on the floor; who just lay there distantly blinking as his eyes wandered about the field of vision he currently had. He gave a soft, barely audible, grunt as he tried to shift positions; when he realized something didn't feel right.

"Rafiki?" He spoke up softly, leaning his head back to where the mandrill remained. "Something's.. not feeling right." The Royal Mjuzi strode down to Kion's back legs, taking the small rock from before and ran it across the pad of both feet; only getting a slight reaction from them.

"Rafiki what is it?" Simba asked, catching on to the look on his royal advisor's face.

"His legs are becoming affected by his injury." Rafiki answered unfortunately, turning to face them solemnly. "We must try harder to stop this… before it is too late."

"Too late?" Bunga echoed. "Too late for what?"

"If we cannot stop Kion's wound from swelling, Kion may never walk again." Rafiki explained. "The effects.. will. be. permanent." The graveness of the situation dawned on them, and they couldn't help but be horrified.

"No!" Fuli breathed.

"So.. Kion will be paralyzed from the hips down?!" Ono gasped.

"But what about the Lion Guard?" Beshte pointed out sadly. "He's supposed to be the leader of the Lion Guard, how can lead the team if he's paralyzed?"

"There's gotta be something we can do, right?" Nala implied hopefully.

"I have a few methods we can try." Rafiki returned. "But if worst comes to worst.. I may need to create an open wound in his back to relieve the pressure that is causing this." Kion's body seemed to ache more in hearing that. Likely from the mere thought of what that entailed; and he silently prayed it wouldn't come to that.

_xxxx_

One method after another seemed to show no glimmer of success, herbal remedies.. ancient cures.. and any form of touch only made it worse.. Kion endured this unintended torture in hopes of avoiding the alternative;... when a sudden change brought with it a force to be reckoned with.

"Rafiki.." He gasped, attempting to shift himself up again. "Something's.. *grunt* something's wrong." Fuli and the Guard drew closer as if to help, despite knowing they couldn't. Rafiki looked from Kion down to his legs. Taking up the rock once more, he tested his paws.. no response.

"What's going on?.." Kion wondered nervously, trying to push himself up. "Something doesn't feel right.. why doesn't it feel right.. why don't I feel anything.." The cub began to slowly slide into a panic, that they could honestly see it coming.

"Easy Kion.. we'll figure this out, just calm down." Fuli soothed, but the cub's panic continued.

"We've gotta do something! We've gotta.. gotta.. go somewhere.. do something.. gotta.. gotta…"

"Shhhhh…" Bunga said, covering the cub's eyes and encouraging him to lay down again. Rafiki pressing a leaf over his face, for a calming effect. "Quiet, Kion.. Rafiki can't focus with you worrying so much. Relax.. let him think.. you gotta take it easy so you don't get hurt more."

"Technically he can't _get_ more hurt, Bunga." Ono mumbled. "Especially when he can't feel anything."

"Ono! Shh!" Fuli hissed, hoping Kion didn't hear. Kion began to lightly struggle against Bunga's touch, and the honey badger weighed an elbow on his shoulder to essentially hold him down; keeping a hand on the leaf over his face.

"Easy, Kion." Bunga soothed brightly. "Nothin' to worry about."

"There is something else we can try.. right?" Nala asked, turning to Rafiki hopefully.

"I am afraid we only have.. one choice left." Rafiki sighed gravely.

_XXXX_

The Royal Mjuzi took up a small piece of tree bark, and sharpened it as much as he possibly could. Bunga held tightly onto Kion, practically laying on top of him to keep him still and calm; the cub unaware of what was happening around him. Rafiki grabbed a large leaf and a hand full of fluffy white Cotton, in addition to the sharp bark, and made his way around to Kion's back. Kion jerked uneasily, his bottom half remaining as still as ever; but Bunga stayed on him.

"It is time." Rafiki breathed holding the blade-like bark up in front of him.

"Ohh, I can't look!" Ono moaned from Beshte's back, covering his head with his wings. Nala leaned into Simba, as Rafiki placed the sharp object to Kion's mid to lower spine area.

"No.. wait!" Kion protested, when feeling the pressure on his back. Rafiki slowly withdrew so as not to accidentally cut Kion. Fuli jumped in to place her paws up onto Kion's shoulder next to Bunga, working to hold him down from the opposite side across from the honey badger.

"Kion, calm down." The cheetah reassured him, as tenderly as she could manage. "I promise you'll feel better after this." Kion still persisted, as Rafiki took another approach stabilizing his hands against Kion's still half; and began the cut. Pressure turned to pain as the flesh was split aside; Kion rived in agony of it, begging for it to be over and the pain to cease. As soon as the blood came, Rafiki pressed the cotton to it and held the leaf over top of that. Kion grimaced and desperately waited for relief to come to his aid. Now still once again, Fuli and Bunga could finally shift their weight off of Kion.

"He should be fine…" Rafiki announced slowly. "Only time will tell if his legs will return to normal."

"And how long will it take before we know?" Fuli wondered nervously.

"There is no way to know." The mandrill sighed. "But for now.. we must let him rest." He turned to pick something up before turning back. "These lavender buds have a calming scent.." He carefully set the flowers close to Kion's head. "They should help him relax for a while.. but we must keep an eye on him." The group of animals exchanged glances; curious of what the next few hours would bring.

_XXXX_

Fuli paced back and forth. Simba and Nala sat with one another; Kiara at their side. Beshte and Ono watched, as Bunga swung upside down on the branch hanging just above them on the wall. Kion stirred and everyone froze to look at him, but when he fell silent again; Fuli resumed her anxious pacing.

"Uh.. it's been hours.." Fuli finally complained. "Can we tell of it's working?"

"Patience…" Rafiki reassured calmly. "We will know very soon."

"Rafiki." Simba's voice earned him the mandrill's gaze. "It wouldn't hurt to check.. would it?" The Lion King implied. To this, Rafiki stared silently at him for a short while, then dropped his gaze to Kion; taking up the rock once more. Running it across the pad of his paws.. everyone watched hopefully for a response. Nothing.. everyone's gaze lowered. Kion groaned, lifting their gaze in just in time to swear that they'd seen his paw move; their eyes becoming wide with shock and surprise. Fuli held her breath, in hopes that they weren't just seeing things. Kion began to stir a bit more this time. He managed to shift his front paws enough so he was upright, his bottom half only slightly moving.

"Kion?" Kiara addressed him softly. Kion's amber eyes slowly blinked open; smoothly lifting from the floor to look at them.

"What happened?" He wondered distantly.

"I have relieved the pressure on your legs. But you will need time to recover, before we can be sure your legs will function normally again." Rafiki told him. Kion's gaze wandered up then down, and then back toward his legs.

"You ok, Kion?" Fuli asked stepping forward.

"I.. think so.." The cub responded unsurely. "I.. I can feel again.." he attempted to get up managing to get his back paws up as well. "..*grimace* but at a huge cost." He groaned, as he lowered himself back down as smoothly as he could to relax again.

"Yes.. pain is good.. it means it is working." Rafiki smiled.

"Even if it doesn't exactly feel good." Fuli grinned, half jokingly.

"Hm." Kion chuckled lightly. "Yeah, you're definitely right about that." The two shared a humorous grin, then looked up at the others.

"Oh.. we're just so glad you're alright." Nala sighed heavily, leaning her head down to nuzzle heads with her son.

"Yeah.. me too." Kion beamed thankfully. "Thanks Rafiki.. you saved me.. and my legs."

"The journey is not over yet." Rafiki reminded him, with the pointing of his finger in a corrective gesture. "You will need time to recover until your legs are back to full strength. And that will take time."

"It's ok.. at least we avoided a really huge problem." Kion returned confidently. "I'll heal.. and in the meantime.. Fuli and the Guard can continue the daily patrols without me for a few days."

"Right, and we'll be here for you until you're back on your feet again." Fuli added surely.

"Thanks, Fuli." Kion smiled, giving her a thankful nod. The feeling of pins and needles pierced at Kion's skin with even the smallest movement, and he couldn't help but look back at it with a slight grunt.

"Don't worry, Kion. It's probably gonna feel a little weird for a while." Kiara reassured her brother. "I mean.. you almost lost all your feeling in them completely, after all."

"Yeah.. I know." Kion sighed loosely, with a shrug. "But at least, now, I know that they'll be ok. And I'm not gonna lose the ability to walk. I know this isn't forever."

"And we are very glad for that too, son." Simba smiled tenderly down on him.

"Ok, so while Kion's rests, we can go on our next patrol." Fuli decided.

"Sounds like a plan." Kion smiled, his pain boldly evident despite his efforts to hide it.

"You ok?" Fuli asked, catching on to this immediately.

"Yeah..just.. still hurts a bit." Kion groaned attempting to move again; though she knew it hurt more than he said, by the look in his eyes.

"This will should help soothe the pain." Rafiki said, placing another deep brown root between his paws.

"Thanks Rafiki." Kion answered, gratefully beginning to gnaw on it.

"Ok, let's go guys." Fuli said, beginning to leave the Lair. The Guard soon followed, as the others remained behind to watch Kion thoughtfully.

_XXXX_

"Sure glad Kion's gonna be ok." Beshte remarked thankfully as their patrol began.

"Yeah,.." Fuli breathed halfheartedly. "Wish it wouldn't have happened, though."

"Well, uh..at least he'll be able to walk again." Beshte pointed out optimistically.

"Yeah, he'll be back to his old self in no time." Ono encouraged quite confidently.

"*sigh* I guess." Fuli sighed reluctantly.

"Psh, guess nothing, Fuli." Bunga scoffed. "He's Kion! He'll be fine." And with that their patrol continued.

_xxxx_

They had almost reached the rock where Kion fell when a small whimper got their attention.

"What what that?!" Fuli wondered dynamically, searching around for the owner of the little noise. Suddenly from behind the rock.. the snout of a little creature poked around to stare at them with big terrified eyes.

"Aww, hey little guy." Beshte vocalized endearingly.

"You again?" Bunga noticed, raising an eyebrow at it.

"It _is_ an African wild dog!" Ono noted, finding his first glance at it from earlier to be correct. "And from the look of it.. it's just a pup."

"Come on out, little guy.." Beshte coaxed gently. "We won't hurt you." The pup just stared at him;.. and after a long pause it slowly creeped out from behind the rock toward them. Making it close enough, it craned its neck to sniff him; hesitant to come any closer. "What's he doing out here all by himself?" The hippo wondered aloud as it cautiously paced around them; nervously approaching Bunga to take a distant wiff of his odd scent.

"He must have gotten separated from his parents." Ono guessed, reaching out a wing slightly as it came to sniff at him curiously.

"Ookay..so can you see if you can find its parents?" Fuli wondered kinda half-heartedly; lifting a paw as it came to her next.

"Affirmative!" The egret called soaring up to look. Eyes peeled, and the search began. "I don't see them. But I'll keep looking." Ono reported.

"Great.. let's keep going." Fuli said, continuing to walk.

"Wait so what do we do with him?" Beshte protested worriedly. "We can't just leave him here by himself; he's just a pup?"

"*sigh* Well, I guess we'll have to bring him with us." Fuli sighed reluctantly. "Come on, guys." The Guard slowly started after her again.

"Come on, little guy." Beshte beckoned to the pup. "You can stay with us,.. at least until we help you find your parents." The pup seemed to sense the safety he was offering it, cause it bounded softly after them; sticking by his side.

_XXXX_

"I found an African wild dog pack!" Ono cried, towards the end of their patrol.

"Great." Fuli smiled. "Where is it?"

"Just over this ridge." The egret returned swiftly. They came over the ridge and sure enough there was the pack of wild dogs.

"Hi there." Beshte greeted brightly. One of the grown up dogs looked up toward them.

"Oh.. hello there." She said, a welcoming smile crossing her face, as she turned their way. "And who are you?"

"Uhh, we're the _Lion Guard_, duh." Bunga responded in his proud, cocky manner. "Shouldn't you have known that?"

"Bunga!" Fuli hissed, shooting a glare in his direction.

"Not sure that I do, but.. nice to meet you. So what brings you to our humble little group?" The wild dog asked.

"Well, I'm Beshte. And this is Fuli, Bunga, and Ono." The hippo gestured to each of his friends as he addressed them. "And we just have a little question for you."

"A pleasure to meet you.. all." The wild dog beamed warmly. "I'm Apunda. So what can we do for you today?" The wild dog pup peeked out from behind Beshte. "Jabari?" The grown dog asked.

"You know this guy?" Beshte asked in surprise.

"Why… yes.. his parents completed their journey through the circle of life, just a few days ago."

"Oh no!" Beshte gasped sadly.

"Yes.. his mother was my sister.." Apunda informed them solemnly. "I'm his aunt."

"Well.. we found him roaming the Pridelands." Beshte explained. "He's been taking food that isn't his; and.. he kinda needs someone to take care of him."

"I understand." Apunda nodded. "After his parents were killed, he just.. disappeared. I thought he'd been killed with them. But he must've escaped in time to save himself. We'll take it from here, Lion Guard; thank you for bringing him back to us."

"No problem." Beshte grinned proudly. "Bye Apunda! Bye Jabari, nice to meet you both!"

"Goodbye, Lion Guard!" Apunda called back. The pup just wagging his tail happily as the animals disappeared over the hill again.

_XXXX_

Kion's ears detected sound before his eyes knew when to look up. They traveled over to the sound, as his eyelids lifted away to see the Guard re-enter the Lair.

"Hey, Kion." Fuli greeted tenderly. "How ya feeling?"

"Eh.. ok, I guess." Kion replied simply, a bright smile on his face. "But those roots have really been helping me feel better. I hardly feel it at all anymore." Kion shifted his body slightly to further sum up his words.

"Ohh.. careful Kion.." Rafiki warned sternly. "You may not feel any pain now.. but even those roots have their limits. And you don't want to make your injury worse."

"I know." Kion nodded compliantly. "And I'll try."

"So.. he'll be alright in a few days.. right?" Fuli wondered hopefully, glancing at the Royal Mjuzi.

"Yes.. in a few days he should be fine." The old mandrill confirmed. "He will just need to be careful, and mind the wound on his back. It'll have to be watched closely until it has _fully_ healed."

"I think we can do that." Bunga put in confidently, crossing his arms with a proud smirk on his face. "Right guys?"

"Sure we can!" Beshte agreed immediately. "How hard can it be?"

"I will continue to have it covered for protection, but it will only go so far." Rafiki went on. "It may need to be cleaned many times in order to help it heal correctly." Kion's body tensed, already feeling the sting of what that would create.

"We'll see what tomorrow brings." Simba decided. "His legs should have recovered enough to get him walking by then.. right Rafiki?"

"Mm, it _is_ possible." The mandrill nodded thoughtfully. "But he will likely be too unstable to leave Pride Rock; but we shall see." Simba turned away from the sunset outside the lair and back toward the group of animals.

"We should all get some rest. And revisit this in the morning." The king decided.

"We'll stay here with you tonight, Kion." Fuli stated, as the royal family headed for the door.

"Uhh, we will?" Bunga realized, earning him a hard glance from the cheetah.

"What? You don't have to-"

"We want to." Fuli cut the cub off insistently. "It's the least we could do." She strode toward him and laid down next to him as the rest of the Guard did the same.

"Oh! Hey Kion!" Beshte spoke up, suddenly remembering something. "You know that African Wild Dog pup we found earlier today?"

"Yeah?" Kion replied curiously, eyebrow raised.

"Well we saw it again." The hippo went on. "And we found its pack and took it home. We shouldn't have to worry about it causing trouble in the Pridelands anymore."

"That's great news." Kion smiled, which soon faded. "No thanks to me."

"Ah don't feel bad, Kion." Beshte reassured him tenderly. "We know you weren't gonna hurt the little guy, he was just scared of you."

"I know.." Kion sighed, lowering his head in shame. "And I didn't mean to.. if things had been different I wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place."

"You tried your best, Kion.." Fuli pointed out sensitively. "You made a mistake, Kion. And you're ok now.. that's all that matters. You didn't know the pup wasn't really a threat."

"You're right." Kion's smile only partially returning. "Thanks."

"Get some rest, Kion." Fuli suggested warmly. "Tomorrow will be a new day." Kion smiled back, closed his eyes and laid his head down with a sigh. Once he was asleep, Beshte and Ono left to go lay down somewhere else; and Bunga took their place, laying against Kion's shoulder and tucking his hands behind his own head.

"Hey, Fuli?" Bunga began quietly. "Do you really thinking Kion'll be back on his feet soon?"

"Of course." The cheetah returned certainly; peering over Kion at him. "Why wouldn't he be? You heard Rafiki."

"Yeah, yeah, I know but.." the honey badger gestured into the air, sitting up to turn his head back toward her. "What if he's wrong? What if Kion wakes up tomorrow..and.. his legs no longer work? What'll we do then?"

"Stop worrying about what _might_ happen and try to focus on getting some rest." Fuli returned softly. "Whatever happens tomorrow we'll deal with it.. just like we always do. Kion will be fine, you'll see." Bunga looked down at the leaves covering Kion's open wound, and then back up at her.

"I hope you're right." He answered doubtfully. Then the two both laid down again. And now even, Fuli began to wonder if the truth of her words were, _in fact_, the truth.

_XXXX_

The sun gave no reassurance for the animals of Pride Rock. Instead it instilled a feeling of unpleasant anticipation and fear. As the royal family and Rafiki descended the steps a short way down from the main cave, they couldn't help but be nervous; yet no one spoke up to say so.

Upon entering the Lair, they found the Guard gathered around Kion's stone perch, watching him sleep from where he was in the center of the room.

"How is he?" Simba asked, as they approached.

"Still asleep." Fuli replied simply. "But.. otherwise fine, your majesty."

"Good. Rafiki." He turned to the mandrill without uttering another word. The Royal Mjuzi picked up on his hint immediately and acted upon it by testing Kion's paws once again. Kion's response was immediate, and he began to stir because of it. Rafiki stepped back as Kion's eyes slowly blinked open, and he lifted a paw to gently rub the sleep from them.

"Guys.. what's going on?" He asked groggily, removing his paws to see his family standing before him. "Oh.. mom, dad.. it's you."

"Yes, Kion. We're here." Simba confirmed. "How are you feeling, son?"

"Uh..okay I guess." The cub replied unsurely. He pushed his shoulders up and this time his back legs adjusted, but then he realized how weak they still were and almost fell over; pain singeing his back from the wound still on it.

"Easy Kion.. you're not quite ready for that yet." Fuli insisted stepping forward to encourage him to lay down again. "You're gonna have to take it easy for a while." She finished seriously.

"I can improve the sensation with a massage, that should help them feel better and get them ready to walk again." Rafiki told them.

"That'd be great. Thanks, Rafiki." Kion smiled gratefully.

"Excellent." Simba beamed. "Then I guess we'll leave you to it." The Lion King turned to leave with his queen by his side. "Let us know if anything changes; I have a few things to take care of and I'll be back later to check on you."

"Ok." Kion nodded simply. "Thanks, Dad." Nala shot him a loving glance, as she, too, exited the Lion Guard Lair. And Kion laid his head down to rest.. even though he felt anything but tired.

_XXXX_

"Simba." Nala hinted, coming alongside her mate, as the Lion King released a heavy sigh.

"I'm fine, Nala." The king breathed. "I'm just glad.. that Kion is recovering well. I imagine that.. last night was difficult for all of us… even him."

"You're right." Nala agreed tenderly. "But at least now we can all relax, knowing that Kion will be fine soon; and that this was just a terrible accident."

"Yes, but.. the weight of the world rests on his shoulders." Simba ventured. "And by _world_, I mean the Pridelands; his job is to protect the circle of life.. I'd hate to see a career-ending injury take away his ability to do that... Since, clearly, he enjoys doing it."

"We all do." The queen encouraged. "But now we know that it won't come to that. Let's just continue to support him and guide him as he continues to do what he was born to do… once he recovers." She snuggled her head against his deep red mane, in a reassuring hug that infectiously succeeded in its purpose.

"You're right.." Simba admitted slowly, lowering his head to return the gesture of affection. "Thank you." Then they straightened up and continued on their way.

_XXXX_

Rafiki's skilled hands worked with tender ease. The pins and needles sensation seeming to lessen the more he massaged. Kion flexed his paw, but the wound on his back stung at him; ending this desire instantly.

"Your wound will be painful for awhile.." The wise, old mandrill explained. "But you need to get your legs walking, as soon as possible to avoid any lasting damage."

"*light groan* yeah.. ok, Rafiki." The cub complied.

"So.. how do we do that?" Fuli wondered. "His wound is so painful we can't move him around all that much... and as unsteady as he is.. it's too dangerous for us to try anything with him."

"Hm.. his wound is too tender for him to lay on his back…" The Royal Mjuzi noted thoughtfully. "Then we must try _another_ way of strengthening his legs again." He definitely concluded.

"And how's that?" Beshte wondered.

_XXXX_

"Here is the solution to our current predicament." Rafiki announced, leading the animals(with Simba carrying Kion by the scruff) waving his hands out to their new destination.

"Big Springs?" Kion observed, as a grey shape approached the animals standing just above the big lake.

"Welcome, everyone." Basi greeted, smiling warmly up at them, as Simba set Kion down. "Rafiki told me what happened to you, Kion." The hippo mentioned looking at the cub. "And we'd be happy to help you get back on your feet again."

"Thanks, Basi." Kion smiled. "But.. uh.. what exactly are we doing here, Rafiki?" He shot a curious glance at the mandrill, searching hopefully for an answer.

"Simple.. we have you take a swim." Rafiki answered dynamically. "The water will make it easier on your wound.. and with the Lion Guard's help you can build yourself back up again."

"Um… _us_?" Fuli echoed unsurely.

"I.. guess that makes sense." Kion thought for a moment. "Beshte? Bunga?" the cub hinted.

"You got it, Kion." The hippo responded, heading down off the ledge they were standing on to wade into the clear blue water from another part of the water's edge.

"Right.. Zuka Zama!" The honey badger called, flipping down in a clean dive into the water; somehow managing to splash only Fuli in the process.

"Bunga!" The cheetah exclaimed indignantly.

"Oops.. sorry, Fuli." Bunga apologized cheekily, giving her an awkward smile. "So.. Kion. Ready to give this a try?" The honey badger then turned his gaze on his friend above him.

"I guess so.." The cub responded, peering down as far as he could over the edge in front of him. Simba stepped over him to pick him up by the scruff again, and carefully edged forward to slowly lower Kion down into the water from the low hanging ledge above the large lake. Kion tensed slightly at the cool sensation as his back paws touched the water first. An unfamiliar sense of insecurity came over him as the water rose up on him to his shoulders; but the feeling soon died away once he was fully submerged.

"Waoh!" His front paws paddled to balance himself out again; his back ones, though, he found more difficult to control.

"Doin' ok, Kion?" Fuli asked trying hard to conceal her worry for her friend and leader, leaning forward as if to see better.

"*grunt* yeah.." The cub replied wobbling about slightly. "Just.. wasn't expecting it to be this.. hard."

"Don't worry, Kion." Rafiki called to him calmly. "The more you practice.. the easier it'll get. That is the whole idea of this exercise. We'll have you try this a few times and see how your legs respond in a few days." Kion felt himself sinking forward and reached a paw down to catch himself; but still fell forward, coughing from the water that got into his mouth.

"Easy, Kion." Beshte cautioned tenderly. "We gotcha." Bunga slowly waded towards him a took his forepaw to help stabilize his floundering friend.

"Guys, I.. really don't feel safe here." Kion stated earnestly. "I can't even reach the bottom."

"Don't worry, Kion." Basi encouraged in his usual care-free tone. "Big Springs has many different water levels, I'm sure we can find one that you're comfortable with." At that time though, a painful sting somewhere in his lower back pierced his flesh with shocking precision.

"Ahn.. awh, that hurts!" The cub groaned, his expression confirming his seemingly unknown discomfort. Simba leapt down to where the shallow water resided, as Bunga and Beshte guided Kion toward him. Picking him up by the skin of his neck, the older lion set his son down on dry ground. And Kion sat stiffly on his haunches with his head hung below his shoulders, dripping wet from the cool lake. The leaf that had been covering his wound had begun to peel itself from Kion's soaked golden fur, exposing the wound underneath. Bunga attempted to smooth it down again; but when Kion flinched, he snapped his hand away so not to hurt him more.

"Hm.." Rafiki mused leaning over the cub's exposed wound. "We'll need to clean this wound again." And Kion silently groaned.. hoping no one would hear.

_XXXX_

Kion seathed painfully at the sting of the wound on his back, as a clear substance was slowly poured over it. His claws dug into the ground, as he tried not to move. Rafiki carefully dried the wound and salved another leaf over it to protect it once again. Kion breathed a subtle sigh of relief, as the sting was finally subsiding; desiring ever more not to have to do it again. Despite knowing that he most likely would; giving him an undying sense of dread for that moment to come again.

"Don't worry, Kion." Beshte reassured his friend. "I'm sure tomorrow will be better. You'll see."

"I hope you're right, Beshte.." The cub responded slowly. "I really do."

_XXXX_

The sun rose steadily higher, showering the Pridelands in a brilliant light that gave no feeling of assurance that the animals of Pride Rock would've wanted. Kion awoke to weight on his upper back; and peering up as best he could, he found a deep bluish-gray arm and a snoring face draped up over his left shoulder. He couldn't help but smile humorously at the honey badger, whom he'd known for nearly his whole life. Kion tested his back legs, glancing down toward them;... _something was different._ He thought. _Had it.. improved?_ He began to push his shoulders up to stand, but Bunga's elbow slid down; weighing on his tender spot and the cub grimaced unintentionally jerked himself due to the pain. Bunga awoke with a start and tumbled off Kion to the cold stone floor; waking the rest of the team with a startled yelp.

"What? What is it?!" Fuli gasped disorientingly, rousing from sleep.

"Wait! It's ok!" Kion spoke up quickly, bringing them all to focus after the sudden rukas.

"What did I do? What did I do?!" Bunga cried, half dramatically.

"Nothing." Kion assured him. "It was me.. I moved wrong.. but everything's ok now… I'm ok."

"You sure?" Fuli asked worriedly.

"Yeah." Kion replied simply, looking to her blankly. "I promise.." He emphasized when seeing her undecided expression.

"Ok." Full gave in with a deep, sighing breath of reluctance.

"So Kion.. ready to try swimming again?" Beshte wondered, changing the subject smoothly.

"I guess so." Kion shrugged loosely. He shifted his paws under him and found he could just barely stand on his own again. The improvement relieved him and tired him at the same time; these feelings becoming quite mutual for the rest of the team as well.

_XXXX_

"Ok, ya ready for this?" Beshte asked again, standing at the edge of the water.

"Ready." The cub nodded after a short pause, sounding only slightly unsure.

"Ok, here we go." Beshte commentated, as he slowly waded into the water. Kion tensed when feeling the water get deep enough for Beshte to slide out from underneath him. This unsettling feeling, infectiously made him feel even more unsteady and he began to subconsciously overcompensate; causing it to become more difficult in the moment.

"Kion, Kion calm down." Fuli soothed, catching on to his distress. "You're way over thinking this. Relax. Look at me." The cub slowed his action and brought his gaze up to her.

"There, see; you got this." The cheetah encouraged. Kion wobbled a bit and delicately adjusted.

"Yeah.. I think I do." He began to realize.

"There you go.. yeah!" Beshte cheered proudly.

"Yeah! Go Kion!" Bunga praised coolly, adopting his classic swagger with this statement.

"Thanks, but-.." He grunted slightly, as he continued to paddle. "This isn't exactly as easy as it may seem."

"Don't worry, Kion." Beshte encouraged. "You'll get there." Ono glided a fair distance above them; noting the strange movement of the cub, as he worked to keep himself above the surface of the water.

"Those back legs aren't quite firing up yet, huh." The egret implied knowledgeably

"Not really." Kion confirmed unfortunately. "But.. at least I feel them again.

"Sounds like it's a _step_ in the right direction." Bunga joked nudging Kion, who couldn't help but smile at the honey badger's humor.

"Ugh, Bunga." Fuli groaned exasperatedly.

"It's ok, Fuli. That was _actually_ a pretty good one." Kion admitted amusingly.

"Hey, look at you." Beshte commented to his brave leader. "Looks like you're getting stronger." Bunga sucked in a deep breathe and dunked himself under the water. Slowly opening his eyes, they adjusted and he noted the slow steady movements of Kion's lower limbs. He came up with a dramatic gasp, as he sprayed Fuli once more.

"Looks like it too." The honey badger reported.

"I don't really.. _feel_ any different." Kion remarked, continuing the constant paddling motion. "But.. I can tell that I can move better now."

"Good. Then that means you're getting better." Ono affirmed thankfully.

"Yes.. that is _very_ good." Rafiki's voice boomed, earning their glance toward the ridge that he and the royal family had just come over. "Now.. let us see what happens when he is not in the water. Simba carefully waded into the water and retrieved his son from the water. Setting him down on the ground, the cub nervously tensed his back legs; slowly shifting his weight off his haunches and standing up. He could feel that the weakness was still there.. but he was relieved that it wasn't on as large of a scale. Taking a step forward.. he stumbled to the left; feeling the shakiness of his back legs return.

"Easy, Kion.." Fuli reassured, coming alongside him with Bunga. "We've got you."

"Excellent.." Rafiki mused, beaming brightly. "It is time."

"Time for what?" Kion wondered curiously.

"Time for the final stage of your healing." The mandrill replied. "Tomorrow.. you will try swimming in a river.. instead of a lake."

"A river?" The Guard echoed dynamically.

"Seriously?" Fuli questioned surprisedly.

"Yes.. Kion is ready." Rafiki definitive answered. "His legs are near completely healed.. and this could be the final stage that'll get him back on his feet again."

"Ok." Bunga shrugged after a long pause. "Guess we're going river riding tomorrow."

"Bunga." Fuli snapped, glaring at him for his blunt comment.

"Sounds good to me.." Kion put in brightly. "I'm tired of laying around all the time. Maybe this'll finally get me back to leading the Lion Guard."

"We still need to keep an eye on you for another few days to be sure you're fully back to normal." His mother informed him. "But depending on how it goes tomorrow you _might_ be able to start going with the rest of the Guard on patrol again."

"I hope so.." The cub emphasized hopefully. "I'm beyond ready to get back to doing my duty to the Pridelands.

"As are we all, son." Simba agreed, nuzzling heads with him.

"Well.. then I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow." Beshte notes aloud.

"Yeah.. I guess we will." Kion agreed, repeating this as if to reassure himself that it'd hopefully be a positive outcome.

_XXXX_

"Morning Kion." Beshte greeted. "How ya feeling?"

"Great.." The cub beamed optimistically. "I _actually_ feel _really_ good about today for once."

"Glad you hear it." The hippo grinned proudly. "Then come on. Let's get you to the river.. Hopefully this'll be the last time you'll need to do this."

"Let us hope at least." Fuli mumbled, almost to herself. Beshte lowered himself to the ground, while the Guard helped Kion to climb up on top of him. Then they set off on their way.

_XXXX_

"Here we are." Bunga announced, as they crested the final hill; which gave way to the free flowing river below.

"The waterfall is far down below us." Beshte stated glancing off down the river, to the right. "So we should be safe, as far as Kion getting washed over it."

"It also helps that this river's current isn't quite as strong as some rivers in the Pridelands." Ono added optimistically. "It's the perfect place for this sort of thing."

"Ok, Kion.." Beshte began again. "You ready?" He peered back at him in saying this, of course.

"Uh.. sure." Kion slid down carefully and found he could steady himself rather well; despite the odd sensation that subtly pinched at his skin. Bunga and Fuli escorted him on either side, as he made his way to the water. Kion's paw dropped slightly for lack of knowing how far down the bottom was, startling him; but he kept going till he was totally submerged. The ground slowly lowered out from under him, forcing him to paddle to keep from floating away with the current. Beshte waded in next to him, and Bunga floated by on his back; having already followed him in.

"How's that feel, Kion?" Beshte asked, curious to know the answer.

"*light grunt* pretty good I guess." The cub responded, finding himself able to maintain his steady directionless heading quite well. Suddenly a rumbling crash came toward them from the distance.

"What was that?" Kion wondered aloud to no one in particular. Ono flew up and peeled his vision to see.

"Looks like a part of a rocky wall came down or something." The egret reported. "We should probably take a closer look." He turned in the air to face them in finishing this.

"Go.." Kion instructed, looking up at Ono. "Check out the area for anything that might be a problem, see if you can find anyone who might've been hurt by the rock slide too.. I'll be fine here."

"Ok.. you heard him." Fuli decided slowly. "Let's go."

"You sure you'll be ok here by yourself?" Beshte wondered thoughtfully.

"Yes.. I feel ok for right now…" The cub reinforced with a nod; continuing to steadily paddle. "As long as you hurry back."

"Come on.. the sooner we get there the sooner we can come back." Fuli told them, looking back over her shoulder; facing the direction they needed to go.

"It's not that far." Ono concurred. "It's just up beyond that hill." He pointed a wing up from where the river came, flapping to keep himself in the air. So with that, and after a pause, Beshte and Bunga waded back out of the small river, to follow Fuli and Ono upstream and over the hill to follow it some more.

_xxxx_

"Over here everyone." Ono called, as he swooped around to a stop over the small pile of rubble.

"Hey this is the lake that the river flows from.." Beshte realized, glancing to their right they noted how the river curved around and down the hill, then up the slope to the mouth of the rocky wall on the very top of the slope.

"Looks like this side got so weak that it crumbled under the water's weight." Ono guessed. Suddenly the wall burst and they parted ways to avoid the influx of water that gushed from it.

"Woah.. look at that! Another river." Bunga joked, watching the water pour down the hill to join up with the existing river.

"Oh no.." Ono realized, peeling his eyes to see the golden figure still in the line of blue. "Kion!"

_XXXX_

Kion almost wondered what was taking them so long to return.. but then he remembered.. _'this is the Pridelands'_. Anything is possible when it comes to the animals who live here. He felt a swell under the water and found it rather strange. A splash lifted his eyes up and he gazed straight ahead.. the blue on the very near horizon heightened.. and seemed to roll heavier toward him. His amber eyes lit up and he tried to make us way to the edge from which he'd entered the water, but it was on the opposite side of where he was. The wave reached him and dunked him under in an overwhelming gulp.

_xxxx_

Their hearts skipped a beat, when the Guard came over the hill to find no sign of Kion.. but they were immediately relieved to see him come up in a rage of coughing and spluttering.

"Hang on, Kion.. we'll help you!" Ono called down to him, as they all made chase. Kion was dunked under once again, but came back up near immediately.

"Ok.. but you better do it quick! This river ends in a waterfall!" Peeling his vision, Ono could see the confirmation of Kion's informative statement.

"Hapana! Everyone.. we need to move! Now!" He squawked down to them.

"That tree!" Fuli cried, glancing ahead. "If we can get ahead of Kion, we can knock it down in his path to catch him on it."

"Great idea, Fuli!" Beshte agreed. "Let's do it!"

"Huwezi!" Fuli took off, at top speed and lept at the tree catching her claws on it; the impact making it wobble a little. "It wasn't enough!" Fuli called unfortunately.

"Don't worry, Fuli!" Exclaimed Beshte in response. "I got you! Twende Kiboko!" Beshte's blow was enough to topple the tree.. and landed it just in time to catch Kion against its trunk, for Fuli to grab a hold of him by the scruff of his neck.

"Almost-.. *grunt* there." Fuli commentated through the golden fur in her mouth. Fuli felt the tree shift slightly as it was beginning to get swept away, she lost her grip on Kion and he fell under once again. Sliding under the tree, he came up just in time to get a grip on the branch just above his head. Beshte stepped up onto the end of the tree still slightly rooted to the ground, to steady it for them.

"Fuli! We're losing it!" Ono squawked from the sky. Kion found that he could feel the bottom of the shallow part of the river, and used it to thrust a paw up to the trunk; digging a firmly clawed grip into the bark. Pulling himself closer, Fuli was able to help pull him up onto the trunk; where they could slowly crawl back to safety together. As soon as Kion and Fuli climbed off over Beshte, the hippo released the tree and it was completely uprooted and washed down the river; which now began to calm after the mighty swell that had pounded through. Fuli, Beshte, and Kion huffed and puffed to catch their breath; Kion's coat drenched and his body dripping wet.

"..hooph! You ok, Kion?" Beshte breathed looking to his leader with a look of concern.

"*sigh* I am now." Kion replied.

"Kion! Lion Guard!" The small group of animals turned at the sound of the queen's voice, to find Zazu leading the other members of the Royal Family and Rafiki over to them hurriedly.

"What happened? Zazu saw the rushing water and all of you running downstream.." Simba explained urgently.

"I'm so sorry, your majesty." Ono apologized. "We would've sent word, but Kion was in danger."

"Danger?" Nala echoed.

"It's my fault.." Kion admitted sheepishly. "I should've gotten out of the water the moment Ono said that a rocky wall crumbled upstream." He began to shake spraying everyone around him; Fuli ducked and hopped behind Beshte to avoid the drops. Simba and Nala opened their eyes once the spray had ended, then looking at Kion their eyes lit up.

"Kion!" The Lion Queen gasped.

"What?" The cub wondered, noticing the gleam in her eyes.

"Well, what do you know?" Simba commented proudly.

"Dad?" Kion stepped his front paws under himself more, then realized something and look down. And found a sense of shock, to know that he was standing on all four paws with no form of pain or strange sensation.

"Well, well, well look at you! Standing up like nothing ever happened." Rafiki chimed, nudging the cub with the end of his staff playfully.

"Hey, check _you_ out!" Bunga joked adding on to Rafiki's praise. "Way to go, Kion!" He nudged the club's shoulder gently, so not to ruin his friend's balance.. just in case.

"Glad to see you on your feet again." Beshte commented proudly.

"Thanks Beshte." Kion smiled, straightening up. "Glad to be able to do it again."

"Looks like you're back to your old self once again." Kiara piped up happily.

"Yeah, looks like it." Kion replied brightly.

"This calls for a celebration!" Bunga announced. "Right?" He finished, looking expectantly to the group.

"I'd say it does." Simba beamed in agreement.

"I'm in!" Beshte agreed.

"Me too.. as long as it's _dryer_ fun." And everyone shared a laugh, as they all headed for Pride Rock.. together.

~Weight Of The World~

**Hello everyone! Long time since I've posted Lion Guard(and in general!). This story I had intended to post it months ago.. But it wasn't finished and… life happened. So.. yeah been kind of a slacker lately with writing.. But hopefully during the holiday breaks I can get ahead so that that doesn't happen as much. Anyway.. Enjoy this Lion Guard one-shot.. Just a quick note that this story takes place after the events of the episode Beshte and the Hippo Lanes in season one. Again.. Enjoy! Thx!**


	2. Update

**Hey everybody, it's me Scarlett Whitecross!! And I'm posting this update to inform you all that, as I have mentioned before I have had plans for a fic that is a continuation of season three. **

**Therefore I'd like to announce that that new story has begun posting. Chapter one was posted just a coupled days ago. And so for those of you who have been requesting one.. it's called Scar Of Revenge.**

**Yes I know.. it's very similar in title to my other LG fic Scar's Revenge. I honestly wasn't trying to do this.. but I kinda started writing the story BEFORE I came up with the title and this one seemed too perfect, so I finally just went with it.  
**

**Hope you enjoy this story because there's a really fun twist right from the get go.. so I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it.. blessings as always!! And it'll see you later. Thx!!!**


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